Save Me
by whereverwithyou
Summary: A one-shot based on my trilogy, set during What is and What Should Never Be. While Dean is deciding what to do about the "perfect" world he's found himself in, he realizes that his choice depends on one person's happiness.


A/N: I'm back with the one-shot I promised! Took a little longer to get around to writing than I expected, but the reasons why is a really long story that I'm sure none of you care about anyway. :P

So basically, when I watched What is and What Should Never Be, I thought about what an alternate reality would be like for one of my own characters. This sort of fits between the first and second stories of my trilogy. If you haven't read any of those, this'll probably make more sense if you read "All I Ever Wanted" first, but I guess it's not completely necessary.

And I'll admit, I had it in my head for a while before I decided to write it down, so I read the script from WIAWSNB and watched some YouTube clips, but I can't guarantee that I didn't mess up anything from what really happened in the episode. And yeah, it might not be possible because by the time everything that this fic includes happened, Dean might've been killed by the Djinn already... but just go with it, okay? I had an idea. :P Sort of fluffy I guess, but I still like how it turned out.

Beginning and ending scenes taken directly from the episode, fic title taken from the Queen song "Save Me." Enjoy!

Save Me

Dean had felt uneasy since this started. Around him was everything he had always wanted… his mother was alive, he had a steady girlfriend, and there were no demons showing up and threatening to destroy it all. Overall, his life was remarkably normal. But something still told him that there was a reason he shouldn't just sit back and enjoy it all. Now, the news report he'd just seen had proved it. This alternate world might be ideal for him, but it was far less than that for everyone else. He put his head in his hands as the reality of it all came down on him. If he'd discovered something like this in the real world, all he'd have to do was turn his head and Sam would be right there. He could tell him the entire situation, and discuss what they should do about it. But now, he and his brother were only family in a superficial sense. They barely even knew each other. Dean needed someone to talk to.

--

"All of them," he said as his stood in front of the headstone. "Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy and I saved… they're all dead," Dean related, hoping somehow that his father- the one he knew- could hear him. "And there's this woman that's haunting me… I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like my old life is coming after me or something, like it doesn't want me to be happy. Of course, I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball, but… you'd say, 'Go hunt the Djinn. It put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness over all those people's lives? No contest.' Right?" Dean asked to the wind. "But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? What about us, huh? What, Mom's not supposed to live her life? Sammy's not supposed to get married? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad? It's—" he trailed off before he could finish, starting to think about just how much he had actually sacrificed. Suddenly, images of Angie flooded his mind. He thought again about the future with her that he could never have. As one of the FBI's Most Wanted, he wouldn't exactly be great father material.

That's when he realized something. Just because this was an alternate reality didn't mean Angie didn't exist in it— it just meant that he'd never met her. Instantly, he knew that there was one person's happiness in this whole screwed up parallel world that he cared about the most. He took a deep breath… it was going to be a long drive.

--

He hadn't seen Angie, nor talked to her, in six months. And in this reality, it was probable that he'd never even known her to begin with. But even though she wouldn't remember, Dean knew that he'd never be able to erase it from his mind, no matter how much time he spent in this dreamland. He still loved her.

In the real world, he had screwed up her life so much. Dean feared that he'd hurt her, perhaps beyond repair, when he'd gotten her pregnant and they made the heart-wrenching decision to abort the baby. This was a reality where that perfect, domesticated life with her would've been possible… except that they lived over a thousand miles apart, and there was no occasion for them to ever meet.

He turned on the radio to try and break his mind of all the anxiety he was feeling, but the song that played didn't help at all.

_It started off so well_

_They said we made a perfect pair_

_I clothed myself in your glory and your love_

_How I loved you…_

_How I cried_

In his reality, he could never just show up to talk to her. Things were still too tense. If he ever saw her again, it wasn't going to be for a very long time. In that respect, this situation was somewhat good… because secretly, he wanted nothing more than to see her again, as soon as possible. But would she be the same here? Or borderline unrecognizable?

_The years of care and loyalty_

_Were nothing but a sham it seems_

_The years belie, we live a lie_

_I'll love you 'til I die_

Dean told himself that it didn't matter whether she was the same Angie or not— all that mattered was if she was happy. If she was, then he would stay here in his own personal perfect life. But if not, he would do everything in his power to reverse the Djinn's spell and get things back to normal… which was a strange word to use, because his real life was anything but.

_Save me, save me, save me_

_I can't face this life alone_

_Save me, save me, save me_

_I'm naked and I'm far from home_

--

Dean pulled into the parking lot, surprised at how easily he'd remembered the route to a place he'd only been to twice, and over two years ago at that. He was looking at the restaurant where Angie worked when he and Sam first met her, and as he got out of the Impala, he was practically praying that she still worked here.

Luckily, he didn't have to wonder for very long. As soon as he walked in, he saw her standing behind the counter, helping another employee with something. For a while, Dean merely stood there, staring at her. She didn't look a bit different from the Angie in his world. He'd told himself on the way that he would have to act like he didn't know her at all, and only stay long enough to get an idea of whether her life was better or not… but the one thing he'd forgotten about was how much she entranced him. He wanted to rush over and pour his soul out to her, something he hadn't done enough during the too-brief time that he'd actually known her.

But he remembered that here it was useless— she would just think he was some sort of crazy person. This depressing realization was confirmed when she noticed him standing by the door and said nothing except "You can sit wherever you want."

Dean nodded and shuffled to the bar, amazed at how he was actually hurt by her inability to remember him. He glanced briefly at the menu, but was soon distracted by hearing the beginning of "Happy Birthday" from the side of the restaurant. He looked over to see that what Angie had been helping the other employee with was a birthday cake, which they were now delivering with the usual fanfare. Dean couldn't help but smile as he watched Angie clap and sing along with the rest of the staff to the red-faced customer. He soon relaxed his expression however, as the song finished and Angie turned to walk over towards him.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "Can I start you off with a drink?"

"Just a cup of coffee, please," Dean replied, handing the menu back to her.

Angie nodded as she grabbed a mug from behind the counter. "On a long trip?" she asked as she turned to get the coffee pot.

"You could say that," Dean said, being as truthful as possible without blurting out that they were all in an alternate world.

Angie smiled understandingly as she poured the coffee into Dean's mug.

"I'm guess you probably get tons of travelers in here saying things like that," Dean commented. He was surprised at how easily he could talk to Angie, even though his mind was still racing about how their meeting wouldn't even be possible in his reality. He made sure to take in what he knew to be his only chance to see her for a long time.

"Actually, not really," Angie admitted, answering Dean's question. "Everybody takes the highways; they don't even know these roads exist back here."

"But they're missing out," Dean interjected. "Highways, the only place you can pull over is some dirty rest stop with nothing but a gas station and a McDonald's." Angie smiled, intrigued at Dean's defense of her restaurant. "But here," he continued, "You've got a jukebox, good food, all this stuff on the walls to look at…" he pointed to the Elvis records and baseball photos hanging near his seat, all forming a frame around a vintage gas station sign. "And some friendly staff to talk to while you're here."

Angie laughed, brushing off the compliment. "It comes with the territory. Growing up around here, you're immersed in diner culture from day one."

"Yeah, but so many people nowadays just aren't into the whole diner atmosphere, y'know?" Dean continued. "They're only working at one because they need the job, and chances are they'll barely say a word to you the whole time you're there."

"Well, I can't completely rule myself out of that category," Angie admitted. "Needing a job's the reason I'm here."

"Oh," Dean said. "Mind if I ask why?"

"Because I was stupid and dropped out of college with only a year to go," Angie answered.

Dean shrugged. "Hey, it happens. My brother only had a year left when he quit." Then he realized that in this reality, that statement wasn't true at all.

"Yeah, but wait 'til you here why I did it," Angie said with a grin that suggested she was mocking her own stupidity. "Because I wanted to look for adventure. I felt that college would only project a cycle of boredom far into my professional career. So, I quit to find something more exciting." She looked at her surroundings and chuckled. "Well, I found it," she said sarcastically. "I'm sure walking around giving refills and barely making my rent is what I really wanted. A life-long dream realized," she joked as she poured more coffee into Dean's mug.

Dean tried to hide his solemn expression. He knew exactly how much trouble that desire for adventure had gotten her into in the real world. "Well, this place doesn't seem so bad," he offered.

"Yeah, but there's tons of things I'd rather be doing," Angie replied. "There's just so much to see out there, y'know?" She gazed nostalgically towards the window. "That's probably why I've been spending the last half-hour of my shift doing nothing but hanging around someone who seems like he has been out there."

"Well, I have seen it all, I guess," Dean admitted with a slight grin. He had gotten most of that 'all' out of the way early, moving from place to place for hunting while every other kid was in school. In this world, he wasn't even sure he'd ever left Lawrence before.

"So what keeps you on the road?" Angie asked.

"Well, I'm kind of stuck with a bad job too," he said.

"At least you get to be out on the road though," Angie reminded. She sighed. "There's lots of jobs that I'd be happier doing, but I'd need a college degree."

"Then go back to college, maybe," Dean suggested.

"Oh believe me, I'm planning on it," Angie replied. "But I need to keep working here until I save enough to re-enroll."

Dean gave her a confused look. He remembered her telling him in some conversation years ago that her parents had paid for the three years she'd actually completed.

Angie wondered why Dean was looking so puzzled, so she decided to explain. "My parents cut me off when I dropped out."

Dean nodded. "They're always interfering with your life somehow," he commented, remembering that her mother's health was the reason she'd first stopped hunting.

"Yours a pain too?" Angie asked, assuming Dean was just making a general comment about parents.

"You could say that," Dean answered. Although he'd never complained much, seeing his deepest wish a reality stretched out in every direction made him realize just how screwed up his life was— and all because of his mom's murder and his dad's need for closure.

"Well, I think I'd better go give those people at table 2 their check before they get angry," Angie said. "I'll be back."

Dean watched sentimentally as she walked off. Obviously, her life was a lot less complicated in this world… and there was no way he could ever hurt her as much as he felt he had in his reality. But still, her comments about searching for what she really wanted nagged at him. She'd been happy for that first year, going hunting with him and Sam. Was her unhappiness in this world really deep enough to trade for that brief period of excitement in the real one, even though it ended so badly?

He needed to find out more. Her comment about the last half hour of her shift made him anxious— it wasn't like he could follow her afterwards; he'd be arrested as a stalker. He needed to find a way to keep talking to her. Looking out the restaurant's back window, he came up with a possible solution.

Angie returned to the counter. "Another cup, or are you ready for your check?" she asked.

"No, I'm good," he said, pushing the cup off to the side. "So, uh, how much is it to play mini golf?"

Angie stopped what she was doing and looked at him incredulously. "You want to play mini golf… by yourself… at night… on a course so geared towards kids it's not even funny?"

Dean shrugged. "Why not? Besides, I don't _have_ to play alone."

Angie laughed. "My shift just ended, and you think I want to spend _more _time here?"

"Well, you did say you were waiting for something exiting," Dean reminded.

"Miniature golf isn't exactly what I had in mind!" she said. However, something told Dean that she wasn't going to blow it off. "It's five dollars," she said. "Ten if you want to pay for my game, too."

--

"So, as you can see…" Angie said as they walked outside with their clubs and golf balls, "You totally get your money's worth with the worn-off turf and plastic décor."

Dean shrugged. "Probably worn off in all the right places. I'll get a hole-in-one every time," he gloated.

"Ha!" Angie laughed. "We'll see about that."

Dean grinned as he set up at the first tee. "Watch and learn." He swung his club, but to his surprised, the ball veered rather than follow the path he'd intended. Eventually, it rolled right back to where he was standing.

Angie suppressed a laugh as Dean looked open-mouthed at the course. "This thing's got hidden curves? I thought you said it was for kids!"

"That doesn't mean it can't have a few tricks here and there," Angie answered with a grin.

After Dean finally got through the first obstacle, they proceeded to the next one, which was horseshoe-shaped.

Dean tried several times to set up the perfect curve so the ball would coast around the course's u-bend, but each time it simply ricocheted off of the bricks that made up the side barriers.

Angie shook her head as she watched his frustration grow.

"What, you think you can do better?" he asked.

"Yes, actually," Angie answered, stepping up to the tee. She began angling her club.

"You know, you're aiming the wrong way," Dean pointed out, noting that her ball was going to head straight for one of the bricks.

"That depends on how you look at it," Angie answered. She hit the ball sideways, and to Dean's surprise, instead of bouncing back when it hit the brick, it bounced up into the air, skipping the whole u-bend and landing directly in the hole at the end of the course.

Dean watched in disbelief as she recorded her score. "That's cheating!" he said.

"Or just clever," Angie replied.

"But…" Dean was speechless. "Do-over!"

--

They played the rest of the course, Angie beating Dean every time through some strategy.

"How many times have you played this thing?" he asked.

"It's how me and the rest of the staff decide who's buying lunch," Angie answered.

Dean shook his head. "This is _so_ unfair." Angie grinned as she set up at the next tee. "Hey… can I ask you something?" Dean questioned.

"Sure, what?" Angie replied.

"Well… what you said about searching for what you really wanted, something exiting…" Dean began.

"Yeah?" Angie asked.

"What if you found it, and it was great, but as a result, something really bad happens? Something that changes your life forever, that you can't undo?" Dean continued. "…If you knew all that could happen, would you still want to go?"

Angie paused for a minute, and then returned her concentration to the course's final hole. "I think there's always gonna be risks, no matter what you do," she said as she swung her club and scored yet another hole-in-one. "Without bad, there can't be any good. Just… boredom."

Dean smiled. He knew he could interrogate her further to make sure, but the sincerity in the way she said it told him that he'd just gotten his answer. It also made him think… perhaps he hadn't hurt Angie in the real world as much as he thought he had. After all, there were no reasons for this Angie to have a different mentality from the Angie he knew. Dean realized that despite everything, she actually wasn't in a state of total regret. Knowing Angie was okay had an amazing affect on Dean, as his spirits instantly lifted.

"Well Angie, I'd love to try all this again and maybe actually beat you on at least one of the holes, but I'm afraid I have to go," he said.

"Alright," Angie smiled. "Come back any time if you ever want a rematch."

Dean started to walk away, but he turned around before he got to the parking lot. "Thank you," he said, meaning it to be for so much more than a round of golf.

"You're welcome," Angie answered. "Bye… oh! I never learned your name," she realized.

"It's Dean," he replied.

"Bye, Dean," Angie waved.

"Bye, Angie," Dean said as he headed towards his car. He got into the Impala and started it up. The goodbye was bittersweet, because once he got back to reality, all this would never have happened. As he watched Angie walk back into the restaurant, he wondered if he would even remember it.

--

Angie tallied up the scores from the game as she walked inside, remarking that she'd never won by such a landslide before.

"Angie, the manager already told you, you can't leave your stuff lying around," one of her coworkers reminded her as he walked over and handed back her name tag. Angie now remembered that she'd left it on a table in the kitchen when the clasp broke at the beginning of her shift.

"Oh, sorry," Angie replied as she took it. As she turned to leave for the night, an eerie feeling swept over her. If she hadn't been wearing her name tag all night, then how did Dean know who she was?

--

Dean walked around the motel room, nostalgically telling Sam everything about the alternate lives they had led.

"Yeah, but…" Sam started, "Dean, it wasn't real."

"I know," Dean said, his sadness visible in his eyes. "But I wanted to stay." Although staying would've killed him, Dean still couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just given up a perfect life. He decided not to tell Sam about his visit with Angie. It would've started a conversation that was still too painful for him to have.

"I wanted to stay so bad."

THE END

A/N: Along with "Save Me," by brain also kept wanting me to include ABBA's "S.O.S.," but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not the kind of song for Supernatural, plus it would probably make the whole thing seem like it was turning into Mamma Mia. But the lyrics really fit it! lol.

Also, there is an actual restaurant that I based the one Angie works at off of... it's called Sweet Jenny's, and it's in Barnegat, NJ. And yes, it has all the junk on the walls and a mini golf course in the back, where my brother first discovered the trick on the horseshoe course that Angie uses in this. lol. But seriously, great restaurant. If you're ever in the area, check it out.

No idea what I'll write next, Supernatural-wise anyway. I got an idea a few days ago, but it's for Doctor Who, so that may or may not show up on this site at some point. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you liked this (or if you didn't, lol), please review!!


End file.
